Justines
PeñíscolaTourist Guide contains information relating to
Spanish holidays,
those who travel Spain, and
anyone wishing to buy
property or move here. When my family and I first visited
Peñíscola and this coast in
the 1970s
there was very little development, a rough road along the beach to Benicarló
and buildings finished just after the Hotel
Papa Luna, much has changed in 30
years.
Please navigate using menu - links on the left
- new pages in blue

Latest News
May 09We are sorry to announce to
regular visitors and former clients and pupils of Justine, that her husband
passed away recently after a short illness.
Lynne and I are supporting her and the boys through this difficult time.
Should anyone wish to express their condolences, please, please, do this
through me at
pmolieff@hotmail.com and not Justine, as my daughteris
not yet ready to talk or discuss the matter.Thank
You

The winter in Peniscola has been
one of the coldest in present memory.The new road that is replacing the "Cami Vell" is
finished and makes the journey into Peniscola much easier. However
there have
already been several
accidents
and the road and roundabouts are too fast in my opinion, take care.There are plans to add spurs connecting to the beach but as yet they have
not materialised.

Construction has slowed down dramatically, especially with the current flat
property market. The poor exchange rate for the Pound will no doubt slow
down UK sales. At the last count, there were almost a hundred estate agents
in Peniscola.

The bar Nostalgia, re-named Iguana,
has now closed.
The Albert has been open for most of the year, Brian and Valery have reduced
their hours and the bar is popular for it's Sunday lunches and Fish and Chip
nights. They also have a "credit crunch lunch" which represents good value
for money.PeñiscolaQuick GuidePeñíscola is a small town of normally
4,000 people, rising to 100,00 in season. There are plenty of bars and
restaurants, and a decent supermarket, Consum, near the riverbank. The banks, cash
points, Post office, tourist office are all in or very near the town centre.
However, Benicarló, 4 miles to the north, is very well served for shopping and
supermarkets. The road to Benicarló roughly follows the beach, but detours
into the urbanisations slightly.

If you follow this road, you will pass, a reasonable supermarket on the Peñismar complex and then a mile or so further, an Intermarché, a petrol
station, a Lidl and Mercadona supermarket. If you are near the town
centre in Peñíscola, it is perhaps easier to take the road out of Peñíscola
towards the motorway, and then take the N340 to Benicarló. There is a
shopping complex before Benicarló, Eroski and another one some 3 miles further near Vinaros. (Carrefour and a McDonalds ) There are regular buses to Benicarló and Vinaros (4
miles
north of Benicarló) with buses every 15 minutes. Peñíscola has a doctor's surgery
near the port, and there is a regional hospital at Vinaros. The pharmacies
are usually good for dispensing medication for minor ailments.Location & Environs- Getting Here
Peñíscola is situated in the
Province
of Castellon,
within the Valencia Community, 140 km north of Valencia
and 224 km south of Barcelona.
The French border is 350 km to the north, Andorra
is 320 km away via Ponts.
The motorway passing Barcelona can get very congested in season,
especially Sunday.
Valenciano, a Catalan dialect is spoken locally throughout the area and now
road signs and directions are mainly displayed in Catalan or Valenciano to
confuse matters. Many visitors arrive by road and parking is becoming a
major problem in high season.
Peñíscola is served by a rail station at Benicarló (5km) and at Vinaros
(8km)
Rail travel in Spain
is relatively cheap by European standards. It is however, advisable to book
tickets in advance, as trains are heavily used.
This is especially true in high season.
For a main line that runs the length of the Mediterranean, there are
relatively few trains per day .
At Barcelona
for example, I have unable to get on a train for many hours due to a late
flight. (However, there is a regular provincial service from Barcelona to Tortosa,
roughly every ninety minutes. If you get off
at L'Aldea, which also serves for San Carlos and
Amposta, it is only 30mins by car to Peñíscola.) The service
from Valencia in the evening is poor and it is not a nice place to wait
about in the early hours.
It is well worth while researching your connections thoroughly. (The RENFE
website is now in English and gives good details)There is for the moment a
regular Ryanair service to
Reus from Stansted, this airport is only 70 miles away and next to the
motorway. Ryanair also flies East Midlands to Valencia
Gerona is another budget airline alternative, although it is 3 hours by car,
and there are Ryanair flights from Doncaster to Gerona.
Easyjet and Jet2 fly to Barcelona and Valencia. For those using the ferry to
Bilbao, it as approximately 400 miles to Peñiscola, with Santander a little
further.By car, from Calais to Peñíscola (via Lyon) is approx 925-950 miles.
The shortest distance normally is St Malo, Nantes, Bordeaux, Toulouse,
Andorra, Peñíscola approx 750 miles. It is a relatively easy drive into Gascony in
one day, following this route. It is even shorter (650 miles) if
you are prepared to cut across Gascony towards the Pyrenees and take
one of the two tunnels at Vielha or Bielsa, and then the road to Lerida.
See
http://francophile1.tripod.com for more detailed routes, places to visit etc
For somewhere to stay, see
http://www.sites-hotels.com/hotels_france.htmLogis rated hotels are good value
http://www.logis-de-france.fr/fr/recherch/index-ca.htmBrief History & Now

Peñiscola is
known as "Ciudad en la Mar" or City in the Sea. The correct pronunciation
is pay-neescola, with stress on
the i. Although the n
carries a tilde, it is not usually pronounced as such. In Valenciano
it would be spelt Penyiscola.The town, surrounded by walls, was originally perched on an outcrop
of rock connected to the mainland by only a narrow strip of sand. A castle
dominates the scene and was the former home of the Anti-Pope Benedict, known
as Papa Luna.
At the turn of the century, Peñíscola was very primitive,
prone to typhoid and known as the "City of Flies".
The port was constructed in the 1920s, after several tragedies at sea and
coinciding with the use of the marine engines. Fishing was then far safer.
The rock for the harbour was blasted from Cerromar,
the area now used as storage
by the Ayuntamiento
(town council) behind the notary office. This is now the site of a new
hotel.
The river's
course was also diverted. It originally ran along the original post office street
continuing on to the small beach near the port.
The status of city was conferred after a maritime visit from the king in the 1920s.
The houses are not as old as they seem,
they erode quickly due to the sea and wind. Fifty
years ago, there was very little to Peñiscola, an unkept beach, a few
buildings clustered around the curves of the beaches. Most of the locals
still lived within the castle walls and the marshes often spilled onto
the beach.
In earlier times, the marshes were used as "Salinas" for harvesting salt.
The bar "La Raval" (main street in Peñiscola) & bar in Camping Sol D'Or have
old photos of Peñíscola as does the small maritime Museum on the walkway
round the rock.The Great Schism
When the papal seat returned to Rome
after 70 years in Avignon,
there was a split within the Catholic Church. Benedict X111 declared himself
Pope and set his seat at Peñíscola. From 1378 until 1417 there was much
disagreement within the Catholic Church. The matter was finally resolved and
in 1417 the dispute was settled.
The castle at Peñíscola can be visited and the quarters of the anti-pope
have been restored and preserved. The view from the top of the castle is
worth the effort. There is also a small, but very good maritime museum, free
entry, in the old town.
The town has been known since ancient times under a variety of different
names that reflect the former civilizations. Baniskula, Tyriche,
Gaya
and Chersoneous have been applied to Peñíscola over the years. The town has
its own water supply within the walls and withstood a heavy siege by the
French in 1812, before finally surrendering,
the castle walls showing cannonball damage today.
back
to indexEl Cid Sidi or Sid, hence this site's name in Arabic
(Lord, Leader)
The town was the setting for Valencia
in the
film 'El Cid' in 1961, starring Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren. In the
early years of the sixties there was little development in Peñíscola and the
town was easily camouflaged. Mock ramparts were constructed to hide the few
buildings on the approach to the castle. There was a cluster of low level
buildings roughly where the main street is in Peñíscola today. Sophia Loren
actually never did any filming in Peñíscola.
The local fishing fleet was also decorated to resemble the
Moorish boats. The locals
acted as extras, and local craftsmen were engaged for most of the
transformation.
The castle however had fallen into disrepair over the years and the
producers arranged for some refurbishment of the walls. This refurbishment has
continued until recent times and the castle today is in quite a remarkable
restored condition. The film and publicity undoubtedly
started the growth of Peñíscola into the resort it is today.
The influx of tourism and sales of property have benefited the area greatly.
The Ayuntamiento has spent the
income received in local taxes wisely, for the most part. Peñíscola now has
new schools, sports centre, an impressive promenade, a well restored castle.
If there is any criticism, it is in the infrastructure of a modern holiday
resort (parking, access, traffic
and drainage are the worst offenders) Parking
There is
parking along all the promenade and near the
river, these are pay and display in season. These however are soon full in
season. Should you get a parking ticket penalty, you have the option to pay
a very small penalty immediately, posted inside the meter. Most Spanish
ignore parking fines, they are rarely followed up successfully.
There is a small basic camping car site behind the Europeñiscola
building, just north of Peñismar complex as you turn inland. There is
a second much larger facility opposite the hotel entrance to the Peniscola
Plaza. (8 euros per night)
I suspect that the police are encouraging campers to use these facilities,
as at times the congest the main car parking and bus areas.Development and
Accomodation
The town and beaches have now undergone considerable development as a
holiday resort but care has been taken to preserve the original atmosphere.
Peñíscola is becoming a cosmopolitan resort with none of the bad attributes
of package deal destinations.
The castle and surroundings streets on the point are in mostly original
condition and are popular in season with many restaurants and bars.
beware!!, the cobbled streets can be very slippy. (It would also not be wise
to drive up into the castle by car)
Peñíscola has 2 beaches, a small curved beach near the harbour, and a long
wide beach stretching some 5 km to Benicarló. Between these two beachesis the commercial heart of the new town, with bars,
restaurants,
shops, banks estate agents etc.
TheAjuntamiento(townhall)
Post Office and local police are all within this area.
Further along the south
coastline is a small beach area near the old
Guardia Civil cuartel.
Most of the beachside accomodation is apartments with 40
or so traditional hotels and aparthotels. The
majority of visitors are Spanish, French and a mixture of other Europeans.
The population swells from 4,000 in winter to 100,00
in high season and at times
is almost at 100% occupancy.Peñiscola however does not
have the reputation of some Spanish resorts visited by the British and other
northern Europeans. The only charter type group holidays are for senior
citizens of all nationalities.
AccommodationWith 40 or so hotels of all description
there is plenty of choice, many are set on the beach but no hotel is far
from the beach in Peñíscola. There are several of the smaller family run
establishments near the town centre.There are two
new large hotels at the north end of the beach and
large developments at Peñismar, &Argenta, some 2.5km north of the town. This
area is almost self sufficient in restaurants, supermarkets, cafes and bars.
There are various urbanisations south of the town and along the approach
road from the motorway. The area south of Peñíscola is now
being developed heavily. The main accommodation is in the
numerous apartments and villas. There are many
rental agencies within the town and Peñíscola features strongly on the
internet.
There are approximately 10 camps sites in Peñíscola but the police can take
a dim view of camping off site especially in the town.

Today The promenade has been extended and improved and
is approximately 4km. long. The promenade continues at the terminus of
Peñíscola, and it is possible to cycle all the way to Benicarló, safely.
Attempts have been made to stop winter encroachment of the sea and the beach
has been widened
In November 2001, the work was almost completed, when freak
storms along all the
Mediterranean,
damaged many of the promenades along the coast. Peñíscola unfortunately
suffered much damage to the newly built promenade, but the resort was back
to normal for the season.
The land on the long beach was originally marshy and waterlogged and this
area is subject to flooding in extremely bad weather. The promenade was
fully completed in Aug 03and is
spectacular, good for biking out of season, no danger.back
to indexRestaurants &
Entertainment
Peñíscola has a wide choice of restaurants, the majority offering reasonable
food at affordable prices. (Menus from approximately 10
€). There are several Chinese restaurants, Pizzerias but not much in
the way of specialist restaurants (Steakhouses, Dutch,
French etc). The catering is specifically aimed at the Spanish
tourist with an emphasis on fish and meat. The bar-cafeteria “Bayarri”
opposite the tourist office is very popular and can be recommended.The Bar "Jubilados" (pensioners)
on the small beach is very
popular with the more mature visitors and residents
with subsidised food and drinks. (see picture section)
The area north of the Argenta
urbanización has many bars, restaurants and
shops.
There is a good tourist office near the castle on the beach. The office has
a very good free tourist map of Peñíscola. There are tourist trains running
around the resort visiting places of interest, much to the chagrin of car
drivers.
In season there is a nightly bazaar type market under the castle walls and
the area around the tourist office has artists, more unusual souvenirs,
punch and judy show,
and street performers. This area is the liveliest, especially at weekends.
Dancing is popular at the Papa Luna hotel (possibly the most impressive
hotel in Peñíscola)There are golf courses at
Vinaros, Castellón and two courses near Tarragona & Salou.Water SportsIn summer there are
several boat excursions from Peñíscola port, excursions include- to
Benicarló, Vinaros and "The Columbretes". These consist of a small
archipeligo (visible from the mountains) and are
a protected wild life area.
The islands however are off limits for visitors. The waters are however
superb for scuba diving. With several harbours within easy reach of one another,
the coast is also popular for yachting, windsurfing, fishing and all types
of water sports. There are marinas- harbours at Ampolla, San Carlos, Casas
de Alcanar, Vinaros, Benicarló, Peñiscola, Las Fuentes, Oropesa.The usual beach attractions are
present, jet ski hire, rides,
pedalos etc.Fiestas
& FallasFiestas are
held in all villages and towns throughout Spain
in July, August and September. Some activities involving bulls can be cruel
to animal lovers. Normally a great deal of drinking is involved. Peñiscola has it's local fiesta in
early September and includes a "Moros y Christianos" procession.
The Spanish also need little encouragement to enjoy themselves, and January
sees a local fiesta in Peñiscola- San Pedro. February signals Mardi
Gras time, with an impressive
carnaval in Vinaroz
and a lesser one in Peñiscola.
March is "Las Fallas" time in
Benicarló, a smaller version of "Nit de
Foc" in Valencia.
Historically the "failures" were burnt and a celebration held, but today it
is different. Each Falla is also a social club
with weeklong activities.
Huge caricatures are built involving much time money and skill, with
satirical themes of political and social issues. The results
are judged, winners declared, and on March 19th, burnt in order. Each
Falla has a large firework
display with the winner normally the best. Benicarló
has 11 of these, Valencia
over 500.
Local Attractions,
Bars-Restaurants-and
Surrounding
AreaThere is an
impressive new marina at Benicarló and the are plans to build one at Peñiscola.
The roman city of Tarragona
is 70 miles
to the north, easily reachable by train and is worth a visit. Barcelona, better visited by
train is just over 2 hours away.
Port Aventura, a theme park is between Salou & Tarragona and is popular.Morella
is a much visited town, some 80 km inland from Vinaros. The hinterland has
some exceptionalscenery, if one is prepared to
venture on the lesser roads.

Benicarló Local town of
approx 20,000 population, 5km north from Peñíscola.Fishing fleet and extensive shops and services.
Impressive new marina at port with bars and restaurants. All services to be found in town,
Wednesday
market.VinarosNext town along
coast, similar population to Benicarló, also fishing fleet and shops.
Good beach and harbour. Thursday market.San Carlos de la
RapitaLarger port on
edge of Ebro
delta, extensive fishing fleet and large mussel farming industry.
New frontage near port with restaurants, parking etc.Tortosa
Attractive town set on banks of Ebro,
50km from Peñíscola. Impressive Parador Nacional set in castle overlooking
town. Good local food to be had in restaurant. Impressive scenery and gorges as
river winds northwards towards Mora.Ebro Delta
Approximately 150 square miles of flat delta containing mainly rice fields,
but area is designated as a national park. Bird lovers’
paradise,
60percent of all Europe's species to be found here.
There is one development at Riomar, several villages and a boat trip from
Amposta along the river. At the terminus
near the mouth,
are several restaurants,
boat trips, and
the scenery is very untypical of the rest of the surrounding area. If
possible, get a tourist map for the delta first,
it is easy to get lost.
(click this link for map
225kb)
The river can be crossed at several places by ferries holding perhaps 6 cars,
mainly near Deltebre & Sant Jaume (trasbordadores) The delta is popular for
fishing and boats can be hired. Small boats can be rented without licence,
larger boats (over 15hp) need licence. Huge beach at playa de Los Eucalyptus
good for 4X4s
Good fishing site for rental and info at
www.pescaebro.com
Good site also for birdwatchers, section
on Delta.
http://www.surfbirds.com/mb/trips/ebro-nr-0704.htmlCases de AlcanarSmall fishing village north of Vinaros, several fish restaurants,
unspoiltSan
MateoCapital of the
local province, the “Maestazgo”.
This tiny town has an attractive village square and several restaurants. Restaurant on corner of
square has reasonable menus from 10€
5 km from the town is Nuestra Señora de los
Angeles,
a monastery worth visiting, with restaurant
serving local food.Los
Fuentes- Alcossebre25 km south of
Peñíscola is the very attractive marina at Los Fuentes, with many
restaurants, including one very good English establishment,
'Cheers'. There is a class restaurant the “Sancho Panza” at los Fuentes. There is a large British community
here. It is possible to drive
from Peñíscola along a coastal road to Los Fuentes, but the state of the
road is not good.
Oropesa
13km further south of Alcossebre is Oropesa. A once
attractive town and beach, now largely spoilt by bad development.back
to indexBars &
Restaurants

e improved
the
premises for 2008 season. Much as before, will be the most popular British
bar in Peniscola
Football, curry nights, Sun lunch etcDanny SoloPopular British performer- singer, musician, songwriter and
arranger.
Offers Cabaret performances for celebrations, corporate events and
entertaimment venue.

Caters also for Karaoke, well worth going to see when performing locally. Details at

Bar Restaurante CarambaDutch-British Bar Restaurant halfway to Benicarló on promenade,
near new hotels.
European menu and service. Freddie
is a good Dutch-Indonesian cookBar La Barca - PeñiscolaGood local bar on on what is Peñiscola's main street, quick
service and sells the best Spanish Omelette I have ever seen.

Bar Raval - Peñiscolaon main street, very cheap and very local, nice friendly family

Bar Bayarri - Peñiscola
On corner, opposite Tourist Office, popular bar restaurant with all manner
of food available.Bar La Caracola - Benicarlo (200meters
from the Intermarche)Portugese run bar with good value foodThe Hardrock Cafe on Penismar has now
changed hands and I would not expect the same service and quality that
Robert provided.

PropertyProperty in PeñíscolaBuilding continues unabated inPeñíscola despite warnings of
a property slump in Spain, however many people believe we are now in the "overbuiding
stage" and wonder just how all this new property will sell.Prices have risen dramatically in the past 5
years or so (and continue to rise) and even small properties are now commanding high prices. Expect to
pay at least £150,000-200,000 for a newish 2 bedroom apartment in a good
position near the beach. Properties in the desirable parts of Peñiscola are now commanding high
prices. The prices drop considerably as you get further back from the "front
line." The front line is now almost completely
developed.
There are many developments on the road out of Peniscola with no end in sight.There is a very large development near the river as it turns
inland, these appear to be good value apartments, however they are set in urban
style and many will have poor views. The Spanish and rental market is aimed at
for these properties.
Mosquitoes are also a problem in this area.A very small villa will set you back the very minimum
of £150.000 in perhaps a not so appealing position or condition. Look at
£225,000 plus for a quality villa or house.
There are however budget properties to be found, these tend to be in more
inaccessible locations (i.e. set further back, lasAtalayas etc )The prices at Font Nova are attractive and surely this area of the coast
will become more developed in the future.
Inland properties are cheaper (Calig,
San Jorge etc) but the Spanish have started asking higher prices due to the
demand. There is still space to build on the coast, but when tha coast becomes
saturated with property, these inland towns and villages will become
desirable. This has happened already in Alicante- Benidorm, Almeria and the
Costa del Sol.
However the climate just a few miles inland can change rapidly from the
coast. Hotter in summer, and colder in winter. (San Mateu is a good example
of this) The breeze on the coast is favored by the Spanish with the volume
of mosquitoes, flies etc, less than inland.
Benicarló can be cheaper, with more space for your money, but beware
the harbour area generally, there is often a strong
chemical smell from the resin plants.A Word of
WarningThere is some very sharp
practice used by estate agents generally. There are sixty odd estate
agents in Peñíscola alone, and when you realise that they charge as much as ten
percent for selling your house you can understand why. Some agents add on a sum
of money on top of the price that you have agreed. This of course can over-price
your property. Be wary of the content of any contracts you are asked to sign for their services.
Some contracts bind you for six months or longer to that agent, and should you
sell your property yourself you will probably have to pay them the commission.
Consider your options carefully and take suitable advice. It
is not normal practice to hand over any monies to Agents, apart from a small
deposit, payments should be dealt with by your Notario
I can recommend 2 companies in the area with whom I have dealt with:-OROLAR SL
Based in Benicarlò, very professional, well organised, and speak English.
Tend to charge a slightly higher commission on resales, but advertise
and promote in Europe widely. They have several devolopments of their own
and mainly sell higher bracket property. They outline everything to you
correctly and give you exact figure returnable to you from the proceeds of
your sale.FINCAS BELTRAN
Based in Benicarlo, busy company, tend to work on high turnover of business.
Do not overprice properties, good selection of resale properties available.
Speak English.back
to index

Bar
Jubilados
- Peñiscola
On the small beach is the "Jubilados" bar, originally for the
benefit of Peñiscola senior citizens, it now has expanded into a meeting
place for many of the more mature visitors to Peñiscola,with about 100 seats outside with more inside.
The food and drinks prices are the lowest in town,
and the range of "Tapas" is
the best in the town without doubt. Available are:-
Calamares, Choco, Chipirones, Sepia, Pulpo, Sardines, Boquerones, Pescaditos,
Chanquetas, various flavoured Croquetas, Patatas Bravas & Fritas, Various
fish in batter, Various sizes & types of Prawns, Mussels, Chicken wings,
Albondigas,
Tortilla and too many more to name. (see
glossary for translations)
A ration of most tapas costs from 2.50 euros with some of the speciality dishes
priced accordingly.
There is a "Menu de Hoy" at about 9 euros, beer costs 1.10 euro and a
large glass
of wine 75 cents, little wonder the place gets busy. You must order your
food and drinks at the bar, there is a "ticket" service. There is no waiter service and customers are
asked to return their plates and glasses to the bar. (see pictures section)

There is no shortage of restaurants in Peniscola offering a fixed price 3
course menu for around 9 euros.

Glossary(Some
more unusual food terms
and preparation)Fish
Almejas- small cockle type shellfish
Anchoas- strongly salted and cured boqueronesBeberechos- small cockle
type shellfish
Boquerones-very small sardines usually fried or picked in vinegar (vinagre)
Calamares- squid either fried in batter (romana) or served as fine strips
(choco)
Carabineros- bright red giant prawn
Chanquetas - whitebait
Cigalas- small lobster looking prawn
Chipirones- small squid
Chopitos- small squidCurado-curedFideua- seafood paella with pasta replacing the
rice
Gambas- giant prawn, the most popular
Gambitas- small pink prawnsLangosta- lobster (bogavante-another
lobster type crustacean)
Langostinos-another lobster type prawn
Mejillones- mussels, marinera or
vapor (Musclos locally- Valenciano)
Navajas- long thin shelled razor fish
Pescaditos- various fried small white fish
Pescadillos- whitebait type fish
Pulpo- small octopus
Rabas - strips of calamares fried in breadcrumbs.
Rape-monkfish
Sepia- cuttlefish usually merely fried
Zarzuela- Fish casserole, usually strongly flavoured, contains almonds.
Meat & CharcuterieBuey- mature beef steakCabezada- popular cheaper pork joint, normally
roasted, with or without bone (con-sin hueso)Cabrito-kid
goat
Queso de Cabra-goat’s cheese
Conejo- rabbit, usually cooked in garlic (Conejo al Ajillo) Hare is liebre
Cordoniches- quailChuleta- chop
Chuleton-wing rib of beef
Cochinillo-suckling pig
Conejo al Ajillo-rabbit cooked heavily in garlic & herbs
Fabada- bean stew (Fabada Asturiana- spicy bean dish with chorizo,
black pudding and sausage)
Hecho-cooking time-poco hecho, medio hech, bien hecho-rare, médium, well
done
Jamón fresco- lightly coloured pork, similar to roast pork
Jamón Bellota-cured ham from acorn fed pigs
Jabugo-smoked, cured wild boar, the most expensive delicacy
Lomo Bellota- cured pork loin from acorn reared pigs
Lomo Embuchado-cured & well aged loin of pork
Lacón Cocido- finely cured pork
delicacy
Lechal-milk reared lamb
Lomo- pork loinMagro- pork cut, similar to
lomo but needs more cooking.
Morcilla-black pudding, several types are used
Morcon Iberico-finest cured & smoked delicacy
Parrillada- mixed grill of either meat (carne) or seafood (marisco)
Perdiz-partridge
Picante- hot, spicy (chorizo picante)
Queso Puro Oveja- ewes milk cheese
Redondo- rolled roast beefSajonia-smoked and cured, usually applies to
pork chops (adobado- similar technique)Salchicha-pork sausage,
salchichon-salami, chorizo-spicy paprika sausage
Solomillo- either fillet steak or fillet of Pork
Tabla Ahumado- smoked platter of mixed meat
Tabla De Iberico- finest smoked & cured pork produce
Ternasco-roasted shoulder of lamb
Ternera- not really veal, but young beef, not usually hung as per UK
Tierno-tender, naturally produced
SpicesAlbahaca-
basilCanela-cinnamon
Cilantro-coriander
Chives-cebollinaEneldo-dill
Gingebre-ginger
Circuma-turmericGuindillas-very
hot chillies
Nuez Moscada-nutmegPerejil-broad leafed parsleyPimenton dulce-
paprika
Pimenton picante-hot spicy paprika
Romario-rosemarySalvia-sage
Tomillo- thyme
(there is a good spice selection on Benicarló Wednesday market, cardamom,
juniper, pepper etc )Recipes
- Boquerones
VinagreThe smaller
boquerones will
give the best results but small sardines will also marinate well.
Fillet the fish, soak and wash well in cold water, Layer the fish on
layers of rock salt and leave for between 2 and 4 hours (depending largely
on your personal taste)
(you can wrap the fillets in clingfilm if you want) The fillets become hard
when cured.
Rinse well and then soak in vinegar for anything up to 8 hours (again
depending on your taste. I mix with lemon juice, this whitens the fillets). Rinse well again and store in a dressing of your
preference containing, olive oil, vinegar (or lemon juice) and perejil (broad
leaf parsley).
The freshness of the fish will dictate how they marinate.
The salt can be mixed with sugar (1 part salt-1 part sugar) This will
temper the action of the salt.
Dill can be added to this mixture (gravad lax
salmon type preparation)
I have had various recipes from many Spanish, but this method seems reliable
after some element of trial and error.Paella
The word as used in Spanish, means a mixture. The vessel used to cook it, is
called a Paellera. There is no exact recipe, only lots of variations on the
theme. Supposedly Valenciano in origin, the essence of the dish is rice,
flavored with chicken, seafood or a combination of both. Rabbit, pork ribs,
lamb or any meat can also be used.
For 4 persons.
Joint and cut up a Chicken into small pieces. leaving skin and some fat on
the meat. Fry with onion and garlic in olive oil, add a few pieces of squid
and 4 large prawns, cook slowly for 10 minutes. Add chicken stock
(or fish stock) and a few white and green beans along with red
peppers, and for colouring use turmeric if saffron is not available. Add 1
small cupful of rice per person, top up the water to the level of the pan
rivets. Simmer until rice is almost cooked. Shortly before the rice is
cooked, add more fish, squid rings, chipirones, several types of large
prawns and gambas. Season well to taste. Add to the paellera, scrubbed
mussels and clams and let them steam for five minutes. Serve with lemon
wedges and a good bottle of wine.
With imagination, this recipe can be varied to suit all tastes (herbs,
picante, tomato, oriental)(However, the best paellas I have seen or tasted have been in France or
the far north of the Costa Brava, close to the French border)back
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